A Contender Series fight is one that has stakes like none other, where fighters must showcase their skills to impress the UFC president enough for a contract with the promotional giant.  Holding the Contender Series with a smaller cage inside the UFC Apex venue makes for a tense atmosphere, and with only close friends and family of the competing fighters in attendance as spectators. Emotions always run high, as a limited number of contracts can be given out on any given night, and many fighters can potentially have their dreams snubbed out solely because of bad luck.

In rare cases, however, a fighter gets a second look. This series will examine those.

Kwon Won Il (14-6 MMA)

Age: 31 years old

Height: 5’10” / Reach: 71.5″

Weight Class: Bantamweight (135lbs.)

First DW’s Contender Series Fight: 2025 (Week 10)

Old DW’s Contender Series Opponent: Juan Diaz (16-1-1 MMA)

Second DW’s Contender Series Fight: 2026 (Week 5)

New Opponent: Apollo Gomes (7-1 MMA)

 

First Contender Series Fight

Kwon Won Il went 5-0 as a pro to start off his pro career from 2014-2018. At 4-0, Kwon was signed to ONE Fighting Championship. He lost his sixth fight to Masakazu Imanari via first round heel hook in the first round.

Kwon’s other five pre–Contender Series loses were also ridiculously skilled opponents.  Koyomi Matsushima, Shoko Sato, and Fabricio Andrade twice. And Kwon’s second loss to Andrade came in the fight prior to his first Contender Series appearance, at ONE 170 for the ONE Featherweight Championship.

The record of the opponents that Kwon had faced heading into his first Contender Series appearance was 232-110-17. Definitely one of the most experienced fighters to appear on the Contender Series.

In the Contender Series bout, Kwon was controlled by his opponent’s boxing early, before getting taken down late in the first. In the second-round Kwon finally started to find his rhythm on the feet, but with two seconds left in the round, his opponent slipped a punch and landed a highlight-reel spinning back elbow. It knocked Kwon out cold.

First Contender Series Opponent

Juan’s spinning back elbow finish at then near the end of the second round landed him a ‘no-brainer’ contract at the end of the night.

Diaz made his promotional debut in May of this year where he beat up and submitted Malcom Wellmaker. Malcom had lost a little steam after starting off 2-0 with two first round finishes and stopping his 2024 Contender Series opponent in the first round. (Against Cameron Saaiman and Kris Moutinho) And with the same weapon too, a check right hook. So even though Wellmaker was 10-1 he hadn’t been stopped (Lost to last second replacement, Ethyn Ewing, by decision last November.

Stopping Wellmaker was a huge statement for Diaz, especially in his promotional debut.

The Road Back

Kwon has had no fights and no pro MMA bouts booked since the last season of the Contender Series.

As we’ve seen before this season, the previous opponent’s performance and Kwon’s performance against his first opponent speaks volumes on birthing a second appearance.

Gameplan/New Opponent

For his shot at redemption on the Contender Series, Won will be taking on Appolo Gomes. Gomes is from the Brazilian regional scene and has faced some solid competition; he’s fought a couple times on LFA and scored nasty finish in Karate Combate 57 last Halloween. That finish came against Hector Santiago, who is now signed to the UFC. Santiago made his debut last month and stopped an 8-1, Lawrence Lui in the second round.

The combined record of the opponents that Appolo has faced is 102-42. He’s got at least seven finishes as a pro in MMA. His two losses came via submission in the second round. Should be an interesting fight for fans as both fighters have arguably already done enough to earn a crack at the UFC ranks, so expect the winner to get a contract here.